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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cap — a hat
  11. court — of a king
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. tear — from crying
  16. court — of law
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mine — for digging
  20. court — for sport
  21. cap — of ice
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. tear — to rip

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com